Just gotta say, friends of mine have started playing Ark and I've inadvertently become their 'dino expert' because I know stuff about the dinosaurs they find. Little do they know where I got a lot of my knowledge from...
Anyway, I hope you like it!
Chapter 4: For The Trees
Teddie hit the ground with a groan, but didn't stay down for long, pushing herself up to throw a punch at Chase, who dodged it by dropping down. He tried to sweep her legs out from under her, but Teddie jumped over his head, landing lightly and turning with a high kick.
Ari watched the two sparring, her arms folded and a smile on her face. While Chase's moves were similar to her own style, they mixed with what he had learned from his Mystic training, not to mention his time with Minos and RJ, who had trained the three siblings along with RJ's son Jeremy. It was fast and agile, while Teddie's was more forceful due to her Earth affinity. However, she also made those moves faster, with a graceful style she'd come up with herself.
She blinked, snapping out of her thoughts, as Teddie bounced backwards off what seemed like nothing, except for the shimmering light between her and Chase, who was grinning mischievously.
"Not fair!" Teddie complained from the ground.
"Why? We never said no powers," the Black Ranger shrugged as Ari tried to hide her laughter. She was just glad she'd suggested training in the forest, in a small clearing where she'd set up a training ground back when the two had first become Rangers.
"Oh yeah?" Teddie pushed herself back up, and a white aura mixed with green surrounded her. "Call to the beast inside! Uncage the Nightingale!" she threw out her hands, and with a loud song of chirps and whistles, her Animal Spirit rose from her and flew through the air, weaving around the trees and singing as she flew towards Chase.
"And you call me a show off! Call to the beast inside!" Chase called as his own black aura with gold flickers shone bright. "Uncage the Kiwi!" the smaller Spirit leapt forwards to meet his opponent with loud chirps, bouncing through the air and clashing with the Nightingale as Chase and Teddie continued their sparring on the ground.
"Probably a good thing they did this without the others around, the amount of questions..." Ari shook her head as Teddie threw up her hands, glowing green, and Chase's eyes widened. He moved quickly to dodge the vines that burst from the ground around him and reached for him. He held out his own hands, speaking in the language of the Mystics, and golden light hit the vines, blocking them from striking him and making them shrivel up. In the air above, his Kiwi Spirit got around the Nightingale and slammed it into a tree, and it faded with a loud cry. Teddie stumbled, and Chase swept her feet out from under, pinning her to the ground.
"Hey, looks like I win," he grinned as both breathed heavily.
"This time. I'll get you next time," Teddie vowed as he got up and offered his hand. The vines disappeared as if they'd never been there, and the two walked over to grab their water.
"Nice one guys," Ari praised as they gulped down their drinks. "But unless you plan on telling the rest of the team, you might want to tone down the uh, unusual aspects of your sparring," she suggested. Chase and Teddie glanced to each other, and shrugged.
"Maybe. I mean, we haven't seen Tyler make any mention of his own secrets," Teddie commented.
"I don't blame him. There's been a lot of publicity there and I imagine he doesn't want his new friends judging him for his family," Ari shrugged, before checking her watch. "You guys might want to get moving," she reminded them.
"Oh yeah," Teddie nodded, wiping her face with a towel. "Best get going," she grabbed her jacket and pulled it back on as Chase lifted his hat.
"I'll see you guys later, I'm having lunch with Zoe," Ari told them as they lifted their things.
"Oh, tell her we said hi!" Teddie smiled.
"Sure thing. She's probably wanting to cry about her baby being all grown up so..." Ari shrugged, and with a laugh, she lifted her skateboard and jogged off.
"I thought that happened when Annie left to join SPD," Chase glanced to Teddie, who shrugged.
"No clue. Mums are weird," she decided. Chase gave a laugh as they headed to the path, and he dropped his board to stand on it as Teddie mounted her bike.
"No doubt about that," he agreed.
"So we got six Energems so far, and there's still six more to go," Teddie said as they cycled towards the Dinosaur Museum. "What ones are we missing?" she asked, glancing to Chase as he skated beside her.
"Uh, Gold, Silver, grey-"
"I think Keeper said that one was Graphite," Teddie corrected her brother.
"Okay, Graphite. Then Forest, Aqua and Purple," Chase remembered.
"Man, so there's dark green and light blue as well," Teddie grinned. "Wonder if they couldn't think of other colours," she laughed.
"You mean like Crimson and Navy?" Chase asked, and both laughed. However, Chase slowed to a stop, looking out at the beach, and Teddie realised after a moment.
"What's up bro?" she asked, following his gaze. She whistled, watching as well.
Out in the sea, as the waves rose and fell, a figure gracefully rode them on a pink and purple surfboard. She didn't make a single mistake as she dipped in and out, before finally slowing down as she moved away from the waves. "She's pretty good," Teddie commented, and Chase hummed in agreement. "Come on, we're gonna be late and I doubt Ms. Morgan will accept you trying to pick up cute surfer chicks as an excuse," she began cycling again, and with a sigh, Chase followed her.
Jogging across the sand to her towel, the surfer put it over her head and started drying her long blonde hair. Her blue eyes rested on the two moving along the road, two of the only people around that early in the morning, and her head tilted slightly. A bark at her side made her look down, and she smiled at the brown and white dog, whose fur was dripping. As soon as Olivia looked down at her, she began to shake, pelting her owner with water droplets and making her laugh.
"Honestly Nerida, must you?" she complained. The duck tolling retriever just wagged her tail in response. Olivia chuckled, scratching behind her ear, before starting to dry herself off. Once she and the dog were both much drier, Olivia grabbed her hoody to pull on, and lifted her necklace out from under it to admire the dark green crystal in the sun. It sparkled, and Nerida barked again. "Okay," Olivia chuckled, tucking the necklace out of sight. "Let's get some food," the dog's fluffy tail wagged, and Olivia grabbed her things, putting them into her bag, and lifted her surfboard under her arm. She whistled, and the dog followed her along the beach.
Walking through the park after leaving off her surf board, Olivia whistled to Nerida as she bounded away, and with a bark, she ran back over to walk beside her. Olivia scratched her ear, and took a seat on a bench.
"This place is pretty nice, huh girl?" she asked as Nerida lay down at her feet. "Maybe dad will actually settle down this time," Olivia murmured, and her smile faded at the thought. Unlikely. Hearing a whine, she looked down and tried to smile as Nerida seemed to sense her thoughts. "It's okay," she leaned down to scratch behind her ears, and her tail wagged happily.
When the dog's head suddenly lifted, Olivia watched as she got up and wandered off. Frowning, Olivia got to her feet too. "Hey, come back! You know not to wander off!" she called, jogging after Nerida through the trees.
"Infernal creatures!" she heard a snarl as Nerida began to bark loudly. "Always interfering in my search! And I know what I smell," Olivia peered out from behind a tree, her eyes widening as she stared at a feline-like monster with massive claws and teeth, snarling at Nerida.
"Come here girl!" Olivia called, and with a bark, the dog ran over to her. "We don't want any trouble," she swallowed when Fury looked at her sharply.
"This smell...it's you!" Olivia let out a shriek and stumbled backwards as Fury lunged at her. Tripping over a branch, she hit the ground, and her necklace came loose from under her hoody. "I knew it! The Forest Energem! Hand it over!" he roared, lashing out at her. Olivia scrambled to her feet, narrowly avoiding him as her heart hammered against her chest.
"No!" she shook her head as Nerida barked, snarling at the monster. "You're not getting it!" Olivia turned and sprinted off through the trees, whistling for her companion to follow her.
"Come back here!" Fury followed with an angry snarl, not about to let yet another Energem slip from his grasp. Olivia continued running, trying to contain her fear as she sprinted out from the trees, only for the ground to explode from under her feet. With a scream, she went tumbling through the air, landing hard on her back. "Hand it over," Fury emerged from the trees slowly, his weapon raised as Olivia blinked tears of fear from her eyes. Nerdia stood in front of her protectively, growling at the monster.
"No!" Olivia wrapped her arms around her dog, burying her face in her fur. She heard an explosion, and her grip tightened, before she heard the monster roar. Looking up as tears ran down her face, she found him on his back, growling.
"Back off Fury!" her eyes widened as the Power Rangers landed between them.
"Rangers..." Fury growled. "Stay out of my way!" he got to his feet and lifted his heavy weapon.
"And let you hurt innocent people?" Teddie asked, tilting her head slightly. "Not a chance," she held up her blaster as Olivia watched with wide eyes. With a snarl, Fury rushed at them, and the Rangers began to fight him as Teddie turned to Olivia. "Are you okay?" she asked, her New Zealand accent thick.
"I..." the blonde girl with deep blue eyes stared up at the White Ranger. "I'm fine, thank you," Teddie tilted her head again curiously, not having expected the Irish accent from her.
"Glad to hear it," Teddie then smiled, before her eyes rested on her necklace. "No way!" she gasped, falling backwards. "You have an Energem?" she asked in shock.
"A what?" Olivia blinked, confused.
"That," Teddie gestured to her necklace. Olivia grabbed it protectively, as if trying to shield it from her gaze. "Guys! She has the Forest Energem!" she shouted to the others.
"What?" Shelby rolled over Fury and glanced at the two on the ground.
"Awesome!" Tyler laughed, blasting Fury. The monster cried out, hitting the ground. With a snarl, he turned and ran back into the woods.
"What's an Energem?" Olivia asked as they approached. Teddie helped her to her feet, and patted Nerida's head. To Olivia's surprise, the dog barked and wagged her tail happily, jumping up to put her front paws on Teddie's chest. The White Ranger laughed.
"Typical Teddie, charming every animal in sight," Chase rolled his eyes. "That crystal you have there, it's called an Energem. And that monster wants it," he explained.
"Guys," Tyler nodded, and they demorphed. Olivia's eyes widened as she found that they were a group around her age. These were the Power Rangers? It was a little crazy. "We all have one," Tyler revealed his Red Energem.
"What..." Olivia looked from one to the other. "I thought...it was unique, just a crystal," she shrugged.
"It way more than that," Koda nodded at her. "Energems have...great power," he explained. Olivia blinked at the muscular Ranger, who smiled innocently at her.
"There are 12 of them hidden around the world, we're trying to find them all and protect them from monsters like him," Tyler explained. "He'll be back, now that he knows you have one," he warned.
"You need to hand it over," Olivia glanced to the Black Ranger, whose accent, and appearance, betrayed him to be related to the White Ranger.
"What? No!" Olivia stepped away from him, narrowing her eyes. "I wasn't going to give it to that creep, and I'm not about to give it to a bunch of strangers just because they helped me," she told them.
"Are you crazy?" Chase stared at her. "That creep would have killed you for it, and he's not about to give up. If you're not bonded to it, you're risking both it and yourself," he warned her. Olivia just glared back at him.
"No," she didn't back down.
"Look, you don't seem to realise-"
"I realise plenty," Olivia snapped at Riley when he tried to speak. "But you're not getting it. It's important to me. You don't understand," she shook her head and took another step back. Sensing her owner's unease, Nerida returned to her side with a whine.
"And if Fury comes back for it?" Chase challenged her. Olivia met his gaze evenly.
"That's what you guys are there for. To protect this city, right?" she asked. Chase shifted, growing more and more agitated with her.
"You-"
"Chase," Teddie put a hand on his arm. "Leave it. We can't force her to give it up, and like she said, it's important to her," she told him. "Come on, let's get back to base," she said to the team. All of them watched Olivia, who stared at Teddie, before they turned and headed off. Taking a deep breath as she watched, Olivia, sank to her knees, unable to stop her shaking.
"Why did we just let her go with it?" Chase demanded as soon as the Rangers returned to the lab.
"With what?" Kendall looked up from her work with a frown.
"The girl that Fury attacked had the Forest Energem," Riley explained. Kendall's eyes widened in shock.
"And you let her go?" she demanded.
"Thank you!" Chase threw his hands up.
"She didn't want to hand it over," Tyler tried to explain. "It seemed to be really important to her, Teddie-"
"Where is Teddie?" Kendall asked, noting the lack of a White Ranger. The group went quiet, looking around. "Good grief, none of you noticed she was missing?" she demanded.
"She stayed behind, I guess to keep an eye on this girl," Chase grumbled, slumping down into a seat in his irritation.
"Probably for the best," they jumped, looking around at Ari. They hadn't even realised she was there. Chase didn't even blink. "If that Energem isn't bonded, Fury will be back," she warned them. The Rangers exchanged worried looks. She was right. And that meant that the girl was in danger.
Sitting on the beach, her legs pulled in as she stared out at the sea, Olivia didn't speak. Nerida lay at her feet, her head nudged under Olivia's hand. In the girl's free hand, she held the dark green crystal that the Rangers had called an Energem.
"Hey," she looked around quickly to see Teddie approach. "Don't worry, I'm not here to make you hand it over," the White Ranger quickly said, raising her hands. Olivia frowned at her, still defensive as Teddie sat down a respectable distance away from here. To her irritation, Nerida stood, wagging her tail, and approached the newcomer.
"What do you want?" Olivia asked, watching her traitor of a dog as she licked Teddie's face, making her giggle.
"Just to talk. I'm Teddie," she smiled at Olivia, who watched her curiously. The girl beside her had a friendly face, and if she hadn't know, Olivia never would have guessed she was a Power Ranger. She was slender, and not much taller than Olivia, and her accent wasn't exactly one she would have expected to hear in Amber Beach. Then again, neither was her own.
"Olivia..." she finally muttered back, glancing away. Teddie tilted her head, studying the blonde Irish girl, who held the Forest Energem in her hand. She was clearly scared and confused.
"So why is the Energem so important to you?" Olivia looked up as Teddie asked this. There was only curiosity in her dark eyes.
"It..." Olivia started, holding the Energem up to the light. "It was my mother's, she gave it to me when she..." the blonde trailed off, unable to say it. Teddie's eyes widened in realisation. "It's the only thing I have left of hers. I can't give it up," Olivia shook her head.
"I'm sorry," Teddie's voice was quiet as her fingers ran through Nerdia's fur. The dog was now sitting between them, watching Teddie. "I can't claim to understand that, and I hope I never do," Teddie admitted as Olivia lowered the Energem, keeping it clasped tightly in her hand. "But you need to understand, there are evil creatures out there trying to get these, and they're willing to hurt anyone in their way. And if they got all 12..." Teddie shivered as Olivia didn't look up from her feet. "They contain a great deal of power, and even one in the wrong hands could be devastating," the White Ranger explained. Olivia didn't speak, not looking up.
"I'm sorry," she finally whispered after a few minutes of watching her feet. "But I can't...not this. It's just..." her eyes closed as her voice quivered.
"It's okay. I get it," Teddie offered a sad smile.
"But..." Olivia looked up, tears in her eyes. "You just said-"
"We'll think of something," Teddie told her, her voice confident. "We'd never force you to give it up. That's why we're the good guys," she laughed. Olivia stared at her, not sure what to make of the girl beside her.
"I found you!" Teddie's eyes widened and Olivia's heart leapt into her throat at the growling voice. They looked up to see Fury approaching, raising his sword.
"No..." Olivia gasped, on her feet and backing away as she clutched the Forest Energem to her chest. Nerida was standing in front of her, growling.
"Give me that Energem!" Fury roared, only to be blasted by a shot from Teddie's blaster.
"Get it through that thick skull of yours Fury, you're never getting an Energem!" she warned him. "ENERGISE!" she spun the side of her blaster. "UNLEASH THE POWER!" she Morphed into the White suit and stood protectively in front of Olivia and Nerida.
"That's what you think, White Ranger!" he snarled. "But I'll be leaving here with two Energems!" Fury roared. Teddie rolled her eyes with an aggravated sigh.
"Try it then!" she goaded, rushing at Fury. As he swung out at her, Teddie dropped down, sliding through the side and between his legs. She leapt up behind him, dodging the swing as he turned around, before slamming her open palm into his stomach. Fury grunted, stumbling backwards, before recovering and slashing down with his sword. Teddie rolled out of the way, pushing up and blasting at him. Fury knocked it aside, and it kicked up sand, making Olivia cry out as it narrowly missed her.
"Enough playing!" Fury kicked Teddie in the chest and knocked her to the ground, before turning and slashing at Olivia.
"No!" she shoved Nerida away, and screamed as she was tossed through the air. The Forest Energem flew through the air, and Fury caught it.
"It's mine! Finally, an Energem in my grasp after all this time," he held it up to admire it, chuckling to himself. Olivia couldn't breathe, barely even acknowledging the pain as the horror of losing her precious heirloom overwhelmed her.
"No...give...give me it back," Olivia pleaded in a ragged voice. Fury just ignored her.
"Master Sledge will be pleased with this," he chuckled.
"I bet he would!" Fury turned as Teddie leapt through the air, and he swung out, catching her across the front with his sword. She let a weak cry out as she was tossed through the air, landing in front of Olivia.
"Are you okay?" Olivia was beside her, trying to help Teddie up as her suit shattered and she winced at the movement.
"Here," Olivia's eyes widened as she held out the Forest Energem. "Take it and run, I'll slow him down," Teddie told her, a hand on her stomach.
"What?!" Fury shrieked as he realised the Energem was gone from his grasp. "Give it back!" he demanded, approaching them as Teddie pushed herself up slowly, only for her legs to give in. She fell back in the sand, feeling the pain through her body.
"Run!" Teddie shouted to Olivia, but instead, the girl stood in front of her, raising her hands as she shook.
"What? You're going to fight me?" Fury asked with a mocking laugh. "You're nothing but a weak human, you can't do anything to help!" he told her, but Olivia's eyes narrowed as she refused to move.
"You're not hurting Teddie any more," she said with determination. Teddie watched her with a surprised look. "I won't let you," Olivia said firmly.
"Then stop this!" Fury threw a powerful blast of energy, and Olivia clamped her eyes shut, but didn't move. Sand kicked up, before the blast was thrown back. "What?!" Fury managed to say before he was hit with his own attack, yelling as he was thrown through the air.
"Back off furball," Chase called as he stood in front of the pair, already morphed with his Para-Chopper raised. For a moment, Olivia swore that the light shimmered in front of him. "You guys alright?" he asked, glancing to them.
"Perfect, thanks bro," Teddie smiled weakly as she pushed herself up. "And thanks Olivia, you really didn't have to do that," she said as Olivia turned to her. The girl smiled back.
"I wasn't about to let him rip you apart," she pointed out, before light shone in her hand. She glanced down, her eyes widening as Teddie grinned widely. Light was shining from the Energem, crawling up Olivia's arm, before it suddenly pulsed, covering her body entirely.
"What?" Chase turned around in surprise.
"No!" Fury roared as Olivia staggered, her head pulsing as she saw an image in her mind of a strange dinosaur.
"What's...what's happening to me?" Olivia gasped as the image disappeared as quickly as it showed. In her hand, a blaster much like Teddie's, only encased in rock, materialised, and she almost dropped it in her surprise.
"The Forest Energem chose you!" Teddie smiled.
"What?" Olivia frowned at her, not understanding.
"What my confusing sister means is that the Energem decided to bond to you likes ours did to us. It means," Chase paused, not sure if he liked the idea. "You're one of us now," he told her.
"That's awesome!" she looked around as the other Rangers hurried towards them.
"Man Chase, you're pretty fast," Shelby commented. Teddie rolled her eyes.
"Here," Olivia frowned as Riley held out strange devices that she'd seen Teddie with. "Ms. Morgan thought these might be needed, just in case," he told her.
"Um...what?" Olivia frowned.
"Do you want to protect the Forest Energem?" Teddie asked her. Olivia turned to her, surprised by the question, before her eyes narrowed in determination.
"Of course!" she nodded. Teddie smiled.
"Then welcome to the Power Rangers," Olivia gaped at her, and Teddie laughed. "Come on, follow my lead, and we'll make sure Fury learns he doesn't mess with us," she lifted her own Charger. Olivia nodded, and the other Rangers moved out of their way. "Dino Charger ready!"
"Ready!"
"ENERGISE! UNLEASH THE POWER!" the pair Morphed, and Olivia let out a breath as she felt power flow through her. Fury roared again in his horror as the Rangers took in the sight of the newest Ranger. A dark green in colour, much darker than Riley's own suit, it was much like the others, only with her own dino spirit.
"Vivix!" Fury raised his sword, and the creatures appeared. "Attack!" he ordered.
"I, uh-" Olivia hesitated, panicking.
"Don't worry, you've got the power to take these guys!" Tyler called to her confidently as he blasted the ones around him. She watched as Shelby, Chase and Koda did the same, while Teddie and Riley used their swords to cut through them with expert moves. Swallowing, Olivia nodded, and lifted her blaster. As the knowledge of how to use it came to her, she rushed into battle.
Fury let out another growl as Tyler knocked him to the ground, and found that his Vivix were all destroyed.
"Sooner or later Rangers, I will get your Energems!" he warned them.
"Just try it Fury, you'll never win," Tyler warned him. Fury growled, and threw his sword down, disappearing in a puff of smoke.
"Wow, that was...incredible," Olivia murmured.
"Nice work, you were awesome!" she blushed as the others ran over, complimenting her.
"This is awesome guys," Ari grinned as she looked from one crystal bed to the other. "7 Energems down, another 5 to go," she looked to the bed that now contained the Forest Energem. "Great work. You too Olivia, you're an excellent addition to the team," the blonde blushed at the confidence in the woman's voice.
"Yes," Keeper nodded as Kendall tried not to look too disgruntled at the dog in her lab. Olivia had insisted on bringing Nerida with her. "You are all making excellent progress in our search. The Energems were right to choose you all," he told them confidently. Olivia looked over at the Energems that glowed brightly; hers in the second crystal bed.
"Hey," she jumped when Teddie put a hand on her arm. The White Ranger smiled brightly. "He means you too. You protected me against Fury, that was way awesome," she told her. Olivia blushed deeply at her words.
"I agree," they glanced over at Ari. She was smiling and petting the dog sitting by her side. Olivia couldn't help but wonder what it was about the two that had Nerida acting so friendly towards them. "You put your life on the line to protect a stranger. Just like Tyler," her green gaze moved to the Red Ranger. Olivia glanced to him, surprised at the implication. Tyler just shrugged modestly. "But just because you're more than halfway to finding all the Energems doesn't mean they'll all pop up so easily," Ari warned.
"Agreed," Kendall nodded. "Sledge will only get more desperate; the more Energems that fall into our grasp means more power against him and his monsters," she warned them. Olivia shivered. She hadn't signed up for such a fight. She jolted when Teddie's hand squeezed her arm again, providing a soothing comfort to her.
"Let him try. We'll stop him," Tyler spoke confidently, and the others nodded their agreement. Ari smiled softly as she watched him, but there was a sadness in her eyes that couldn't be entirely hidden. His determination and courage inspired his team, just like Mack had done for his team back when they had been Rangers.
"I'll find you Mack, just wait," she murmured under her breath, just as determined as the Rangers in the base.
So Olivia has joined the team as the Forest Ranger, with the Scelidosaurus as her Dino Spirit.
Fact for the chapter: Olivia was originally going to be Australian, but I visited my local museum before I started writing this fic, and saw the Scelidosaurus skeleton that's there - this particular dinosaur is one of the only species to be found on the island of Ireland. So I decided to make her Irish, with the Forest Energem instead! (Extra comment, they had models of a Parasaur and a Velociraptor hanging out in the entrance that made me giggle)
I hope you liked it!
Please review!